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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Our Cupcake Custom

Welcome to the December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let's Talk TraditionsThis post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama.
Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
It's a funny thing, starting a family with someone and getting to decide how you'll live your life together. Establishing family traditions is part of this. Sometimes, as I'm finding with Christmas traditions, one has to be more intentional about choosing what to celebrate and how to do so. Other times, as with cupcakes in my little family, traditions choose you.

I've always loved cupcakes. There's just something extra-special about having an individually-wrapped cake that's just for me. They're easier to bake than larger cakes, too—and if one gets a little messed up, that one gets a little extra icing. I hadn't intended for the cupcake to be a significant part of celebrations in my family, but that's how it turned out.

Our wedding cakes

Solidifying the cupcake as the indicator of festivities was my decision to serve cupcakes at our wedding in lieu of a traditional wedding cake. It originated as a way to save money on a fancy cake, and also a way to serve all our favorite flavors of cake at once (I believe we ended up with five different kinds). Some family friends of ours generously gifted us their baking skills—and the resulting mounds of cupcakes—as our wedding gift.

Ever since that day, we've had cupcakes for birthdays and special occasions, holidays and Tuesdays. When I was having a hard day last week, Jaymz brought the most beautiful little chocolate cupcake home for me, and it was even gluten-free!

I enjoy celebrating our half-birthdays with a small gift and a cupcake, which is something I started a while ago in an effort to have that many more excuses to celebrate. I still like this tradition, especially because it's a more private type of celebration, one that most people will forget, and the kind that isn't announced on Facebook for all to see. This cozy, intimate celebration is the kind of vibe I want to have in our Christmas traditions.

When it comes to holiday traditions, we're still in the planning stages. Since Daniel is too young to remember this Christmas, we're taking this holiday season (and probably next year's, too) to feel out what kinds of rituals and traditions fit our family's style and values.

I love hearing about other peoples' favorite traditions, and I've already got a few great ideas for rituals we'll adopt this year and in the future. Now you know, my favorite way to celebrate is with a delicious and beautiful little cupcake.

What's your favorite way to mark a special occasion?

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

Family Traditions + To Santa Or Not To Santa — Stop by Natural Parents Network to discover some of the traditions from other natural parents. NPN is also featuring snippets of posts from NP bloggers on the topic of whether to encourage children to believe in Santa Claus. (@NatParNet)

Family Tradition Origins — Momma Jorje discusses her family's traditions, and her desire not to make anyone feel obligated to conform to them.

Everyday Traditions — For Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children it's the small, daily traditions that make life special.

A Christmas Tradition — Luschka at Diary of a First Child knows that even though she won't be able to have her usual holiday traditions this year, the important thing is that she has her family. (@lvano)

I'd have to say my favorite way to mark a special occasion is by a special event -- going out to dinner, on a picnic, on a date. My favorite birthday recently, my "present" was being taken to the ballet by my then-fiance. It was so fun, plus I knew it was a sacrifice for him. ;) I remember these events so much more than physical gifts.

Aw, MAN . . . now I really want a CUPCAKE! My pregnant belly is going to have to settle for a muffin though. At least I have one of those on hand. After reading your post, I was just drooling over all those delicious little cakes at your wedding! Yum!

I love your leanings toward traditions that are "cozy and intimate" - the half-birthday is a great idea that I might just have to adopt!

And not really on the subject of your post, but my best friend in the world is also a big fan of cupcakes (as a matter of fact, her SO and I actually call her "cupcake" as a pet name) AND she just found out she has a gluten allergy. What a small world!

YUM! I've seen cupcake wedding cakes before - but yours is really awesome. I love that you had 5 different flavors! We had a 3 layer cake with 3 different flavors, because I couldn't just choose one.What a sweet (in both senses) tradition!

Cool! It's fun when the bride and groom incorporate their personalities in the wedding. I love cupcakes for their customization. There are so many ways to decorate, let alone differing flavors (last year I made pink lemonade cupcakes). Have fun celebrating with cupcakes! :)